| Matt Johnson Outdoors Electronics for Ice Anglers |
| Matt Johnson Outdoors |
By: Matt Johnson
Ice fishing has come a long way in
the last several years, and the use
of electronics has grown immensely.
Now we have advanced underwater cameras that can tell you
the depth, water temperature, direction the camera is facing,
as well as rotate while under the ice, and this list goes on and
on. Flasher units have also evolved throughout the years, and
have really improved our efficiency out on the ice. Flashers
have taken away a lot of the guesswork that comes with
locating fish and they act as the fish’s mood indicator, letting
us know what they want. And along with underwater cameras
and flashers we also have handheld sonar. These flashlight
size pieces of equipment help enable us to find fish faster and
easier out on the ice. Electronics are definitely an important
part of modern ice fishing.
Underwater cameras come in all
different models and makes. The
purpose of an underwater camera is
to allow you to “see” what is below
the ice. I know this sounds obvious,
but it has several meanings. First
off, an underwater camera allows us
to distinguish weed types and
bottom content or structures that are
below the ice. This can be very
important in not only finding where the fish are, but also where
the fish might eventually be in the future. If you locate a nice
patch of weeds that are dying or dead, you might not find fish
there, but you can be safe to say that fish might relate to that
same area sometime down the road. Bottom content can play
a key role in ice fishing, and knowing the type of bottom you
are fishing can determine your success on the ice some days.
This is especially true when trying to locate transition areas or
areas where one bottom type switches to another. An
underwater camera can help us pinpoint those areas. Second,
an underwater camera will tell what type of fish you are
marking on your flasher. A flasher is tough to beat when it
comes to marking fish, but a flasher doesn’t necessarily tell us
what kind of fish they are. An underwater camera will
eliminate the guesswork and you can properly equip yourself
for what types of fish are below you. And last, an underwater
camera is a learning tool and can help you catch more fish.
Understanding how fish react can go a long way, and knowing
how fish react to different presentations can go even further.
Directly watching a fish allows you to notice and pick out
every subtlety in the fish’s reaction to a presentation. This not
only allows you to refine your techniques, but it also makes
you more aware of what a fish likes and dislikes, something
that can be an important factor on tough days. Watching a fish
slightly inhale your bait only to spit it out a fraction of a second
later can be seen on an underwater camera and might be
missed without actually watching it on screen. Underwater
cameras can teach an angler important details about what’s
going on below the ice.
Choosing an underwater camera that best suites you is
important. Some underwater cameras come with all the bells
and whistles, while other cameras are more basic models but
still get the job done nonetheless. Some of the options
available to us today are underwater panning viewing
systems, which allows you to rotate the camera 360 degrees
with the push of a button or remote control, temperature
display, directional display, depth display, Nite-Vu lighting
systems giving you more visibility at night and in darker water,
video recording capabilities, as well as reinforced Kevlar
cables. All of these features have been designed to help make
things easier on the ice, and anglers have seen the
advantages these features have. An underwater camera that
excels in these features is the OVS 560 by MarCum
Technologies. The OVS 560 comes in a nice neat package
and is very mobile and easy to operate, and its performance is
highly recognized by anglers. There are several other options
beside the OVS 560 as well. There are other versions that
have the same camera performance but with less features.
Choosing an underwater camera that you are the most
comfortable with is important. Other underwater cameras with
less features will get the job done just fine and shouldn’t be
frowned upon. Just like if you were buying a new car, going
with the luxury edition is nice but isn’t always necessary, and
the basic version will still get you from point A to point B just
the same, but you just won’t have all the added features.
Flashers have also advanced in the
last several years. New zoom features,
more power, split-screens and more
potent interference rejections have
pushed flashers to a new level.
Flashers have become an important
part of ice fishing, and some might
consider their flasher to be the most
important piece of ice fishing
equipment they own, I know I do.
Choosing a flasher is similar with choosing an underwater
camera, you want one that is going to best suite your needs
and your style of fishing. A flasher acts as the fish’s mood
indicator, and its main purpose is to mark fish. Being able to
distinguish a fish from the bottom is important, and being able
to distinguish a fish from another fish is important as well.
Another important characteristic of a flasher is the ability to
mark your presentation. Being able to see your jig on the
screen and how a fish relates to it is very important.
In recent years flashers have developed some new features
that make things more productive out on the ice. Zoom
features are pretty popular lately. The ability to zoom in at a
certain depth in the water column can have a big advantage in
certain situations. When fishing suspended crappies in 40 feet
of water, you have a tendency to focus on the depth the fish
are coming in at, so with the new zoom features you can zoom
into that 10 foot section where the crappies are showing up.
The advantage of this is that everything is “magnified” and
more precise in that 10 foot zoom window. Movements, both
from the fish and your presentation, are more precise, and
you don’t need to focus on unneeded space. But, we can take
this one step further. The zoom feature not only allows you to
see the 10 foot zoom window, but it also allows you to see the
rest of the water column as well. This is possible because the
screen of your flasher will split in half once the zoom feature is
activated, and on one side you will see the zoomed in area,
and on the other side you will see the whole water column. So
now you get the best of both worlds. You not only get to see
the level where the school of crappies is coming through at,
but you also get to see when that crappie cruises under the
ice shows up, or when that walleye hovering just off bottom
decides to join the party. And the zoom feature can be
distributed throughout the entire water column, not just on
suspended fish. Adjustable zoom is a very useful and
productive feature.
Power is another often overlooked characteristic of a flasher.
Having more power means you can mark more objects in the
water, and more precisely. Added power allows the flasher to
distinguish between two fish holding next to each other,
between a fish and the bottom, or between you presentation
and the fish with greater ease. Movements are more
noticeable and this can be important when focusing on bottom
hugging fish. We don’t want to spend time on fish that are not
hungry, but on negative days sometimes we might not have a
lot of options, so being able to pick out small movements can
be important when situations call for it. More power means
better target separation and more marked fish.
Interference rejection can play an important role when fishing
around other flashers. Interference only hinders our
productivity out on the ice, so we want to minimize the amount
of interference and maximize our productivity. The advanced
features of interference rejections today allow us to block out
opposing signals, and in return we get a clear screen.
Adjusting the interference rejection is as easy as a push of the
button now, and the results are phenomenal. No interference
means fewer headaches out on the ice.
Flashers like the LX-3 by MarCum Technologies are equipped
with these features. Adjustable zoom, split-screens, more
power, better target separation and stronger interference
rejections (IR) come standard with the LX-3. But just like
underwater cameras, there are other models available that
have fewer features but still get the job done.
Handheld sonar is a very efficient tool to have when
trying to locate depths and structure. Being able to
shoot through the ice with a push of a button has
gained recognition immensely. With the emphasis
being mobility, we want equipment that allows us to
check a spot quickly and move on if it’s not what we
want. Handheld sonar allows us to do just that.
Now we can arrive to a spot on an ATV, snowmobile, truck, or
by foot and check the depth without even punching a hole.
Sure saves a lot of time and guesswork. The LX-i by MarCum
Technologies is an example of handheld sonar that can be
used to read through ice to check the depth without even
taking your gloves off or wasting any extra time.
Electronics are continuing to make the angler’s job easier,
and I can’t imagine what the future will hold. We now have the
ability to see below the ice and watch the fish as if we are
watching TV, we have the ability to watch a fish rise off the
bottom and take our jig as its happening, and we can shoot
through several feet of ice to get a precise and accurate depth
reading. Electronics are helping us catch more fish!!!
Ice fishing has come a long way in
the last several years, and the use
of electronics has grown immensely.
Now we have advanced underwater cameras that can tell you
the depth, water temperature, direction the camera is facing,
as well as rotate while under the ice, and this list goes on and
on. Flasher units have also evolved throughout the years, and
have really improved our efficiency out on the ice. Flashers
have taken away a lot of the guesswork that comes with
locating fish and they act as the fish’s mood indicator, letting
us know what they want. And along with underwater cameras
and flashers we also have handheld sonar. These flashlight
size pieces of equipment help enable us to find fish faster and
easier out on the ice. Electronics are definitely an important
part of modern ice fishing.
Underwater cameras come in all
different models and makes. The
purpose of an underwater camera is
to allow you to “see” what is below
the ice. I know this sounds obvious,
but it has several meanings. First
off, an underwater camera allows us
to distinguish weed types and
bottom content or structures that are
below the ice. This can be very
important in not only finding where the fish are, but also where
the fish might eventually be in the future. If you locate a nice
patch of weeds that are dying or dead, you might not find fish
there, but you can be safe to say that fish might relate to that
same area sometime down the road. Bottom content can play
a key role in ice fishing, and knowing the type of bottom you
are fishing can determine your success on the ice some days.
This is especially true when trying to locate transition areas or
areas where one bottom type switches to another. An
underwater camera can help us pinpoint those areas. Second,
an underwater camera will tell what type of fish you are
marking on your flasher. A flasher is tough to beat when it
comes to marking fish, but a flasher doesn’t necessarily tell us
what kind of fish they are. An underwater camera will
eliminate the guesswork and you can properly equip yourself
for what types of fish are below you. And last, an underwater
camera is a learning tool and can help you catch more fish.
Understanding how fish react can go a long way, and knowing
how fish react to different presentations can go even further.
Directly watching a fish allows you to notice and pick out
every subtlety in the fish’s reaction to a presentation. This not
only allows you to refine your techniques, but it also makes
you more aware of what a fish likes and dislikes, something
that can be an important factor on tough days. Watching a fish
slightly inhale your bait only to spit it out a fraction of a second
later can be seen on an underwater camera and might be
missed without actually watching it on screen. Underwater
cameras can teach an angler important details about what’s
going on below the ice.
Choosing an underwater camera that best suites you is
important. Some underwater cameras come with all the bells
and whistles, while other cameras are more basic models but
still get the job done nonetheless. Some of the options
available to us today are underwater panning viewing
systems, which allows you to rotate the camera 360 degrees
with the push of a button or remote control, temperature
display, directional display, depth display, Nite-Vu lighting
systems giving you more visibility at night and in darker water,
video recording capabilities, as well as reinforced Kevlar
cables. All of these features have been designed to help make
things easier on the ice, and anglers have seen the
advantages these features have. An underwater camera that
excels in these features is the OVS 560 by MarCum
Technologies. The OVS 560 comes in a nice neat package
and is very mobile and easy to operate, and its performance is
highly recognized by anglers. There are several other options
beside the OVS 560 as well. There are other versions that
have the same camera performance but with less features.
Choosing an underwater camera that you are the most
comfortable with is important. Other underwater cameras with
less features will get the job done just fine and shouldn’t be
frowned upon. Just like if you were buying a new car, going
with the luxury edition is nice but isn’t always necessary, and
the basic version will still get you from point A to point B just
the same, but you just won’t have all the added features.
Flashers have also advanced in the
last several years. New zoom features,
more power, split-screens and more
potent interference rejections have
pushed flashers to a new level.
Flashers have become an important
part of ice fishing, and some might
consider their flasher to be the most
important piece of ice fishing
equipment they own, I know I do.
Choosing a flasher is similar with choosing an underwater
camera, you want one that is going to best suite your needs
and your style of fishing. A flasher acts as the fish’s mood
indicator, and its main purpose is to mark fish. Being able to
distinguish a fish from the bottom is important, and being able
to distinguish a fish from another fish is important as well.
Another important characteristic of a flasher is the ability to
mark your presentation. Being able to see your jig on the
screen and how a fish relates to it is very important.
In recent years flashers have developed some new features
that make things more productive out on the ice. Zoom
features are pretty popular lately. The ability to zoom in at a
certain depth in the water column can have a big advantage in
certain situations. When fishing suspended crappies in 40 feet
of water, you have a tendency to focus on the depth the fish
are coming in at, so with the new zoom features you can zoom
into that 10 foot section where the crappies are showing up.
The advantage of this is that everything is “magnified” and
more precise in that 10 foot zoom window. Movements, both
from the fish and your presentation, are more precise, and
you don’t need to focus on unneeded space. But, we can take
this one step further. The zoom feature not only allows you to
see the 10 foot zoom window, but it also allows you to see the
rest of the water column as well. This is possible because the
screen of your flasher will split in half once the zoom feature is
activated, and on one side you will see the zoomed in area,
and on the other side you will see the whole water column. So
now you get the best of both worlds. You not only get to see
the level where the school of crappies is coming through at,
but you also get to see when that crappie cruises under the
ice shows up, or when that walleye hovering just off bottom
decides to join the party. And the zoom feature can be
distributed throughout the entire water column, not just on
suspended fish. Adjustable zoom is a very useful and
productive feature.
Power is another often overlooked characteristic of a flasher.
Having more power means you can mark more objects in the
water, and more precisely. Added power allows the flasher to
distinguish between two fish holding next to each other,
between a fish and the bottom, or between you presentation
and the fish with greater ease. Movements are more
noticeable and this can be important when focusing on bottom
hugging fish. We don’t want to spend time on fish that are not
hungry, but on negative days sometimes we might not have a
lot of options, so being able to pick out small movements can
be important when situations call for it. More power means
better target separation and more marked fish.
Interference rejection can play an important role when fishing
around other flashers. Interference only hinders our
productivity out on the ice, so we want to minimize the amount
of interference and maximize our productivity. The advanced
features of interference rejections today allow us to block out
opposing signals, and in return we get a clear screen.
Adjusting the interference rejection is as easy as a push of the
button now, and the results are phenomenal. No interference
means fewer headaches out on the ice.
Flashers like the LX-3 by MarCum Technologies are equipped
with these features. Adjustable zoom, split-screens, more
power, better target separation and stronger interference
rejections (IR) come standard with the LX-3. But just like
underwater cameras, there are other models available that
have fewer features but still get the job done.
Handheld sonar is a very efficient tool to have when
trying to locate depths and structure. Being able to
shoot through the ice with a push of a button has
gained recognition immensely. With the emphasis
being mobility, we want equipment that allows us to
check a spot quickly and move on if it’s not what we
want. Handheld sonar allows us to do just that.
Now we can arrive to a spot on an ATV, snowmobile, truck, or
by foot and check the depth without even punching a hole.
Sure saves a lot of time and guesswork. The LX-i by MarCum
Technologies is an example of handheld sonar that can be
used to read through ice to check the depth without even
taking your gloves off or wasting any extra time.
Electronics are continuing to make the angler’s job easier,
and I can’t imagine what the future will hold. We now have the
ability to see below the ice and watch the fish as if we are
watching TV, we have the ability to watch a fish rise off the
bottom and take our jig as its happening, and we can shoot
through several feet of ice to get a precise and accurate depth
reading. Electronics are helping us catch more fish!!!
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